Design Components

Winfoil is configured using a number of parameters to allow the user to create new aircraft configurations, new design components, to customise the drag breakdown analysis and to enter or modify drag coefficients for aircraft items.

The following outlines the steps required to add a component to the Tandem Wing Aircraft Configuration.
We will be adding a new wing component. Please note this this functionality is only available in the registered version of Winfoil. To find out how to register please see the Purchase Page.

1. Open the Preferences screen from the File Preferences Menu.

2. Click on the Advanced button on the lower left.

3. This action will open the Parameter Maintenance screen shown below.

4. Click on the Search button.

5. This action will open the Search screen. Click on the Design Components entry and then click on the Ok button.

6. We want to add a new wing component, so we click on the New button on the lower right and this will then open the Parameter Type Maintenance screen as shown below.

7.Enter the new component Short Description and Description. You should also take note of the Parameter No. which is automatically assigned. In this case it is 12. This number will be used in the next step.

8. Click on the Save button to create the component.You will then be returned to Parameter Maintenance screen.

9. Click on the Search button in the Parameter Maintenance Screen. Click on the Component Grouping entry in the Search screen and then click on the Ok button.

10. In the Parameter Maintenance Screen select the All Wing entry in the list in the lower section of the screen and then click on the Edit button. In the Data field add the Number for the new component obtained from step 7 above. In this case it was 12. Each entry is delimited by a special character. Winfoil determines this character depending on the regional settings of the PC on which it is installed. In most English speaking countries it is a comma in other countries it will be a pipe character (|). This is to ensure that the delimiter is not confused with any numeric formatting character as a number of countries use a comma to represent a decimal point. An example is shown below;

11. Repeat step 11 for the following items for the Component Grouping Parameter;
All Wing Components

12. Click on the Search button in the Parameter Maintenance screen and select the Aircraft Configuration item and click on the Ok button.

13. Select the Tandem Wing Configuration in the List in the lower half of the screen and click on the Edit button. Add the item number to the Data and Data Extra fields as shown below. Note that a delimiter is used to separate the values.In this case it is a comma. The delimiter is the same for all parameters it will either be a comma (,) or a pipe (|). The Data Extra Field is used to indicate that the Aspect Ratio must be entered in the Drag Breakdown. This is required for any lifting wing surface. As this is a tandem wing both wings are contributing lift just like a Canard design. Then click on the Save button.

14. Click on the Search button in the Parameter Maintenance screen and select the Drag Items entry and click on the Ok button.

15. Click on the New button on the lower right of this screen to create a new drag item and to link it to the new design component we entered in step 6 above. In this screen enter the Short Description, Description and component number which is 12 for this item( from step 6). In this case it is a coincidence that the component number and the new drag item number are the same normally this will not be the case as this is automatically generated by Winfoil. Shown below is the new drag item. Click on the Save button.

16. Click on the Close button on the Parameter Maintenance Screen then Canecl button on the Winfoil Preferences Screen. Close the Design Screen if open and then open it again. The parameters will now be reloaded. You will now be able to add a Wing2 component to a Tandem Wing design and the Wing2 component will show up in the Drag Breakdown screen. You may need to click on the Default button in the Drag Breakdown tab to recreate the drag breakdown so that the new drag item is created.

To delete a drag item from the configuration, select the Aircraft Configuration item in the Parameter Maintenance screen and then edit the Tandem Wing configuration and remove the item number from the Data and Data Extra fields. To remove the Horizontal Tail ite, look up the number which is for this component 8. Remove item 8 from the Data and Data Extra fields for the Tandem Wing Configuration. An Example is shown below.

You can see that item 8 has been removed. You will then need to click on the Default button in the Drag Breakdown tab to recreate the drag breakdown so that Horizontal Tail Item is removed.